KAMPALA – The Government is set to present a statement before Parliament explaining the reported rearrest and whereabouts of National Unity Platform (NUP) vice president for Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, following concerns raised over his disappearance shortly after he was granted bail.
Second Deputy Prime Minister Dr Crispus Kiyonga told Parliament on Tuesday that government would return to the House with a statement on Wednesday regarding the matter.
The announcement followed concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, who questioned the circumstances surrounding Kivumbi’s reported detention and demanded answers from authorities.
Ssenyonyi told Parliament that Kivumbi’s family, lawyers and political colleagues had failed to establish his whereabouts for four days after he was allegedly picked up by security operatives shortly after his release on bail.
“We shall return tomorrow (Wednesday) with a government statement on the matter,” Dr Kiyonga told legislators.
Kivumbi was granted bail by the International Crimes Division of the High Court after spending nearly six months on remand at Kitalya Prison over terrorism-related charges alongside 16 other accused persons. He has denied the allegations.
According to Ssenyonyi, Kivumbi was intercepted in Mpigi District while travelling from Butambala to Kampala shortly after his release and has not been seen publicly since.
He questioned why security agencies would allegedly rearrest a person who had already been granted bail by court without clearly explaining the legal basis for the action.
Ssenyonyi argued that if authorities believed Kivumbi committed any offence after his release, they should follow the established legal process instead of holding him without disclosing his location.
“The government has several times been urging the population to avoid mob justice. If we agree that suspects should be taken to police, why doesn’t government do exactly that?” Ssenyonyi asked.
He asked Parliament to demand an explanation on where Kivumbi is being held, who arrested him and under what legal authority he was taken into custody.
Attorney General Sam Mayanja told Parliament that every citizen’s right to liberty is protected under the Constitution and that any arrested person must be informed of the reasons for their arrest and detained in legally recognised places.
Meanwhile, Kivumbi’s lawyers have moved to the High Court seeking a writ of habeas corpus, asking security agencies to produce him before court and explain the legal grounds for his continued detention.
The application, filed by Lukwago and Company Advocates, Alaka and Company Advocates, and Mukiibi and Kyeyune Advocates, names the Chief of Defence Forces, Inspector General of Police and Attorney General as respondents.
According to the lawyers, Kivumbi was released on bail on July 9 and later travelled to his ancestral home in Butambala before he was allegedly intercepted on July 10 while returning to Kampala.
They claim he was picked up at a police checkpoint near Mpigi Police Station by UPDF officers and plain-clothed military personnel before being taken to an undisclosed location.
The lawyers argue that Kivumbi, being a civilian, cannot be held by the military without following constitutional procedures. They also claim he has been denied access to his family, lawyers and personal doctor.
The application states that his continued detention beyond the constitutional 48-hour limit without being presented before court violates his rights.
The lawyers want court to order authorities to produce Kivumbi and release him immediately if there are no lawful grounds for his detention.
They are also seeking a declaration that his alleged incommunicado detention is unconstitutional and want the respondents to meet the costs of the application.
The matter has heightened public concern over Kivumbi’s reported disappearance, with Parliament now awaiting government’s official explanation on his status and whereabouts.
